


Before The World Catches Up

by ShadowHaloedAngel



Series: Stay [5]
Category: Ocean's 8 (2018)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Betrayal, Blizzards & Snowstorms, Car Accidents, F/F, Heist Wives, Hitchhiking, Hypothermia, Kidnapping, Leather Jackets, Motorcycles, Stranded, Whumptober, harsh climate
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-13
Updated: 2018-10-13
Packaged: 2019-07-27 06:32:47
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,379
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16213436
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShadowHaloedAngel/pseuds/ShadowHaloedAngel
Summary: Now that the truth is finally starting to come out, they choose to run. Unfortunately a motorcycle isn't the best mode of transport in the face of a winter storm, and they have to flag down help from a passing car.Prompts: 6. Betrayed/7. Kidnapped/9. Stranded/11. Hypothermia/21. Harsh Climate; 13. "Stay."





	Before The World Catches Up

**Author's Note:**

> Huge thanks to flightinflame for sending me the prompts, to Fahre for inspiration, and to Why for being an exceedingly patient and appropriately evil sounding board and second pair of eyes.
> 
> I took one look at the prompts and knew I had to do something with Debbie and Lou for them, but rather than doing the challenge properly with a series of short fics, I ended up planning out a whole series with a story arc and everything, combining prompts into stories. I've never done anything like this before, and I appreciate that I'm not technically doing it properly this time, but I'm excited about it. The whole series is planned, but might not all go up during October depending on how long it takes me to write. Obviously, warning, this is based on Whumptober prompts, and it's going to go pretty dark at times. I promise there will be a happy ending, because I don't do hurt without comfort, it's just that this time there's going to be a little longer to wait. I hope you'll find it worth it.
> 
> Oh, and I'll award cookies to people who figure out what the connection is between work titles as the month goes on

What they do now is pack a bag, or a couple of bags to be precise. Nothing big. They don't have an awful lot of time, or at least, it doesn't feel like it now. Somehow it's so much worse not knowing when the other shoe is going to drop. Debbie feels more than a little bit like the sword of Damocles is hanging over her head, only her neck isn't the only neck beneath it now. 

While Debbie carries them down to the garage, Lou makes a phonecall. It's only one ring before Farah picks up.

"Yes Ma'am?"

"You know that conversation you and I had, with Peggy?"

"I do. Is it time?"

"I think it's time. You've got your own keys. Don't go upstairs, just lock off the stairwell to my place and don't let anyone up. Start spreading the word that management's changed. Anyone asks after me, I've moved out of town with Debbie, you don't know where. No forwarding address, nothing. Maybe I finally went down to California."

"I'm guessing you're not telling me where you're actually going."

"Wouldn't even if I knew, and I don't know yet."

"And I'm guessing there isn't actually any new management."

"You always were a smart girl. Change my name in your phone to something else, and I'll need you to call Peggy and brief her too because I don't have time to call her now. I'm leaving the club in your hands for the foreseeable future, I trust the calls you'll make with it."

"We'll take care of it, Ma'am. Stay safe, and I hope whatever this is gets sorted out soon."

"Me too."

Lou hangs up and heads downstairs, grabbing the keys off the floor where Sue posted them back through the mailbox earlier. She wonders whether the mailbox is likely to become a safety hazard, but for now she has to hope that just distancing herself from the club will be enough to keep this place and the women who work here safe. She knows Farah and Peggy can handle themselves, but still. The world has suddenly gotten a lot more dangerous than she had ever expected. 

In the garage under the club, Debbie is already changed into her gear. Lou has lent her a spare set of leathers, because on a bike there's no excuse for not wearing proper safety gear, and this whole exercise is rather pointless if Debbie gets killed or injured in an accident. With her hair up and her helmet on, Debbie Ocean is anonymous. That's a relief for both of them. 

Lou's side is throbbing, and she tries not to think about whether or not she should actually be doing this, because when you get right down to it, there isn't really a choice. They have to run, and the sooner they do it, the better. Sue stitched her up properly, muscle and skin all neatly sewn back into place. There's a dressing on it, and they have spare dressings and antiseptic in one of the bags. It's hardly the first time either she or Debbie has dealt with stitches, so although running isn't ideal, they should still be able to manage. At least it didn't stop her getting into her leathers, even if every movement had been enough to make her almost bite through her lip. The anaesthetic was long gone, and Lou is just glad Sue's work is holding steady because tearing her stitches is really not on her list of things to do right now. 

"Okay, you ready?"

"As I'll ever be."

And there's nervousness in Debbie's voice, but she /finally/ sounds like Debbie again, and Lou smiles a little despite herself because the two of them against the world is familiar territory. Sure they've never taken on anything quite like /this/ before, but she can't let herself think about quite how big this is. They'll be okay. 

As they head out onto the road, Lou can feel Debbie shiver and tuck herself in closer against Lou's back. Lou can feel the bite of the cold through her leathers, and she understands why, the chill of the wind ripping tears from her eyes even through her visor. It's dark, or as dark as it ever gets in New York, and Lou is mentally trying to figure out how far they're likely to be able to get before dawn and how long it'll be before they need to fill up again. This far out of the centre at least the streets are mostly quiet, but something in the air is telling Lou it might not just be the early hour that's got people off the streets. 

The sky is dark, not just because it's night, but because of low, heavy, threatening clouds as far as she can see. It doesn't look like daylight's going to have much of an impact, and Lou is starting to wish she'd checked the forecast, because this isn't looking good but they don't have a choice. They need to get as much ground behind them as they can before they're missed, and although every instinct Lou has says that riding head-on into the teeth of a winter storm is a terrible idea, it might just give them some cover. After all, it's not the kind of thing a sensible person would do. Lou's never really prided herself on being sensible. 

This first part of the journey is familiar, and they're about halfway across the Brooklyn Bridge before the snow begins falling. A glance at the sky says this isn't going to be a light shower, and while it might not be heavy, it's going to be set in and persistent. Lou's hoping they can reach the interstate before it builds up too much. The interstate should be safe enough in these conditions, but Lou's not stupid enough to think they can outrun a storm like this. Maybe, if they're very lucky, it will stay put enough for them to get out from underneath it, but she's been through enough to know better than to rely on that kind of luck. 

***

They make it all the way to Pennsylvania before fate catches up with them. The interstate was closed for works, so Lou had pulled off to follow the diversion signs. They're local roads, and it's still early enough for them to be quiet, but unfortunately it's still early enough for it to be dark and the snow's been falling here for a while. 

She's still not quite sure exactly what they hit, but her money's on black ice. Winter driving (or winter conditions, anyway) isn't exactly something Lou's had a lot of practice at and her whole body is wishing it was different now. 

They end up in a drift, and Debbie's the first back to her feet, holding out a hand which Lou gratefully takes because the snow was soft but her whole body aches and the fresh wound in her side is burning again. It's background noise, protesting the rough treatment, but not demanding immediate attention, and that's something. They take a few seconds just to stand there and let the adrenaline pulse through their bodies, and Lou is the one to break the tension in that moment. The click of her chin strap echoes in the eerie silence, and her breath mists in the air as she lifts her helmet off. It's a heartbeat before Debbie does the same, and the two of them lock eyes. 

Lou's not sure, will never be sure, whether Debbie's mouth came crashing onto hers first, or whether she was the one that closed the gap. Not that it matters. There are gloved hands tracing frantic trails over leather-clad bodies and they're both wearing too much, enough to drag a groan of frustration from between Lou's lips, but she restrains the urge to start tugging at buckles because as much as she needs to know that Debbie is okay and intact, the two o them both desperately need to stay warm right now and getting naked is not going to help that. At least, not in the long term. 

They're both panting when they pull apart, and they more or less immediately come back together again, but it's slower this time, and their breath is floating in clouds around them. 

"You okay?"

The sound falls flat, and she can't blame that on her helmet anymore, but snow always has had a strange way of deadening sound. 

"Yeah. Yeah I'm okay. Are you okay?"

Lou nods, a sharp jerk of her head, but Debbie comes in close again anyway, her hand resting feather-light on the leather just above Lou's left hip, knowing what lies beneath it. 

"Is this..."

"I don't think it's pulled. We can find out when we get somewhere safe. I don't think the bike's in a fit state to ride."

Debbie glances back at it. 

"I'm sorry."

She knows how much Lou's bikes mean to her, and at this point it's just another casualty of Debbie's stupidity, just another way she's hurt Lou, just another way she's destroying this normal life Lou has managed to build for herself despite her. 

Lou shrugs and rolls her shoulders back, testing the range of motion. Bruised, maybe, but not too bad. 

"It happens. But you owe me a new one when all of this is over."

Neither of them really knows whether or not this will ever be over, but it's a lot easier to talk as if there will be a future one day. There has to be an after. 

"So what do we do now?"

It's Debbie asking the question this time, a reversal of roles Lou isn't quite sure how to take. Debbie has always been the one with the plan, the one who can see the big picture. Immediate crisis management has always been more Lou's speed. 

"We have a couple of options. One of us stays with the bike and the other goes for help-"

"I really don't think we should split up."

There's a quiver in Debbie's voice now and Lou isn't sure if it's just due to the cold or not. The slender brunette is chafing her arms through the jacket now, and shifting on the spot. Debbie's always been slighter than Lou, and at times like this, it really shows. She also makes a valid point. In theory whoever is after them is only after Debbie, but they're after Debbie because Danny wasn't enough which says that either they don't care about collateral damage, or they actively seek it out. At this point, especially given their history, Lou is pretty sure she'll be top of the collateral damage list. One look at Debbie's face confirms that Debbie thinks that too. 

There's another hesitation and Debbie steps in to take Lou's hands, fingers interweaving again, and Lou can feel them shaking through the leather. Debbie's whole body is shaking, and it's only now that Lou realises she's soaked through from the snowbank, that they both are. Well, shit. With these temperatures, hypothermia is almost inevitable.

"...Please don't leave me Lou. Please stay with me."

And oh those words still ache in Lou's chest, because before all of this Debbie never asked, never would have asked, and now she can't stop asking. It's a sign of just how scared she really is. 

"...Okay. So we don't split up. But we need to get inside somewhere soon because you'll catch your death out here and I won't be far behind. I think I saw a sign for a motel back that way. Let's head there. And, and I can't stress this enough, if you start feeling hot, tell me. Don't just take your jacket off or something."

"I don't think I'll ever feel warm again."

"Yeah, well..."

Lou doesn't want to dwell on that thought. They're both going to be fine. They have to be. 

***

They've been limping for almost ten minutes, Debbie's shivering is getting worse, and with no sign of the motel and the weather getting worse, Lou decides to try hitching. There's a car coming behind them, she can hear it, and if it can see them through the snow then she hopes they might be persuaded to take them however far up the road the motel is. Or to anywhere else, really, it's not like the two of them really have a specific destination in mind. 

Sure enough, the driver stops, and Lou opens the back door to push Debbie in first, following her in and fastening both their seatbelts. 

The driver smiles at them, passes back a blanket and a thermos. 

"I'm sorry, I know really you need to get out of those clothes, but there's nothing to be done about that for the moment. Where are you two ladies going?" 

"We were aiming for that motel up the street there was a sign for back there, but really anywhere. We were just out for a ride, nothing in particular."

"Strange choice to ride out in this weather."

"Yeah we... didn't check the forecast."

"It can happen to the best of us... I can run you up to the motel anyway, that's no trouble."

And Lou feels her heart lifting a little bit because maybe not all is lost. 

They carry on up the road, and Lou can see the shape of the motel through the snow, can see a light in the window and the sign outside, and she prepares to get out-

But the driver carries on, steady and sure, and Lou stares. Maybe they hadn't seen it?

"It was just-"

"No no, it's fine, that's not a very good one. I know another one just up this way where you'll be much more comfortable."

"No, really, we're more than happy to get out here-"

The locks on the back doors click down and suddenly Lou can't breathe. 

She locks eyes with the driver in the mirror, and there is no kindness there anymore, no mercy. 

"I don't think so, somehow." The voice is soft now, and somehow that makes everything so much worse, "I think you and Miss Ocean will both be coming with me. Don't try to run. We found you this time. Next time we shall not be nearly so... considerate."

**Author's Note:**

> Another cameo from DGHDA's Farah Black and a mention of Marvel's Peggy Carter.
> 
> I literally wrote three different endings for this fic before settling on whichever one I thought would be most heartbreaking. This isn't how I initially planned on it going, but I think it's even better. In the original plan, they made it to the motel and cuddled up naked with each other and hot chocolate. That wouldn't have changed what happened in the next part so much (though it did require some adjustment of the plan), but I wanted you to know how close you were to having that. 
> 
> I'm so sorry. There really will be a happy ending.


End file.
